Sharks boss could be the next to go

Cronulla chairman Damian Irvine is expected to become the latest casualty of the doping and salary cap scandals that have engulfed the struggling club and left sacked football manager Darren Mooney in hospital.

Irvine, who returned from overseas business to attend Sunday night's match against Gold Coast at Shark Park, is understood to be considering his future after angering players, officials and fans by claiming players at the club had been injected with substances meant for horses in 2011.

Mooney, head trainer Mark Noakes, doctor David Givney and physiotherapist Konrad Schultz were all sacked on Friday, while coach Shane Flanagan was stood down.

Irvine, who also confirmed in a Fairfax Media report that there were salary cap allegations against the club, had attempted to defend the board's decision to stand down Flanagan and sack the others.

Fairfax Media reported last week that one of two substances, alleged to have been illegal and taken by Cronulla players in 2011, was Thymosin Beta 4, which is used with horses.

Up to 22 members of the 2011 squad, including 14 current players, face bans ranging from six months to two years for doping violations.

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Flanagan and the sacked members of the coaching staff have denied any knowledge of players being given vials labelled ''for equine use only''.

''Horse steroids or supplements that aren't for human use - I knew nothing about that,'' Noakes told Channel Seven.

''For someone to come out and say that, [or] allegedly say that, it just makes us look guilty of doing that which I have no recollection. I've never seen anything like that, that even resembles that.''

Cronulla players are upset at the treatment of Flanagan and other members of the football department, including Mooney, who was taken to hospital on Sunday suffering stress.

With board elections due next month, Irvine is under severe pressure to hold his place on the board and, if he does, it is believed that other directors will oppose his reappointment as chairman.

The Sharks are also under scrutiny from the NRL over allegations that players received under-the-table payments from a security company sponsor.

The allegations emerged after Cronulla recently severed ties with the company E Group Security, which was a sponsor and provided security to the club, and replaced it with another security firm.

It is understood that Irvine is struggling with the fallout from the crisis that threatens the club's survival and he is expected to announce on Monday that he will stand down from the role.

Irvine did not respond to messages from Fairfax Media on Sunday night and he was not keen to comment when approached by the media at Sharkies Leagues Club before the match against Gold Coast.

''What I've got to say is that we've made strong decisions, we're happy with the decisions and there'll be more to come out later on in the week, but at the moment there's nothing more to say,'' he said.

Noakes said he was devastated by the club's decision to sack him. ''I'm just totally dumbfounded. It's honestly crushed me,'' he said.

The staff sacked and stood down were clearly still on the minds of the players. Or in Paul Gallen's case, his arm. He had placed tape over his right bicep, with ''Flanno, Noakes, Phys, Doc and Moons'' written in black texta.

Supporters held banners, while about 100 gathered outside the stadium and, in a show of solidarity, sang the team song and walked into the stadium en masse.